SECOND SEED ELIMINATED

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32524, 6 February 1971, Page 44

SECOND SEED ELIMINATED

The women’s singles quarter-finals brought the demise of the second seed, Miss W. Shaw, the Scottish woman who was in New Zealand last year.

However, there was not a great deal to surprise in this

because Miss Shaw has not been playing well, and her opponent, the 25-year-old Miss B. Stove (Netherlands), as experienced as herself, had excelled as a member of the Dutch Federation Cup team which reached the semifinals in 1969. A strongly built woman, Miss Stove won a tie-break in the first set, lost the second, 3-6, when Miss Shaw cut down her errors, and then played with supreme confidence to win the decider, 6-3.

INTERRUPTED In this third set Miss Shaw let her length lapse so that Miss Stove was able to get sharper and sharper angles on her shots and to attack consistently. But there was some sympathy for Miss Shaw, trying desperately to hold her service at a vital part of the set, when the loudspeaker barked out with some information about banking facilities for overseas players. Her suitable retort was that she “couldn’t care less,” and then dropped her service. But Miss Stove’s compatriot, Mrs T. Walhof, did not fare as well—her match with the American, Miss K. Harter, was the other way round, 6-2, 0-6, 6-2. Miss Harter appeared to let the second set go when she found it was slipping but she was back to her best in the third. U.S.-AUST. CLASH Now Miss Harter will play the dazzling Australian Aboriginal, the 19-year-old Miss E. Goolagong, who again drew the spectators to her side of the court when she playefi the South African, Miss L. Rossouw, in a quarter-final. And they were not disappointed. .

It was to Miss Rossouw’s credit that she gained three games in each set and scampered round well to get the balls fired at her from every angle. However, Miss Goola-i gong’s uncanny anticipation, her continual movement, her ability to keep an immaculate length, and most of all the spectacular way in which she returns sizzling backhands with her back almost turned to the net, made her the most formidable opponent.